15 Relatively Unknown Linux Apps

Most people go for the big apps when switching to Linux, and for good reason: they are easy to find, usually very polished, often updated, and there's a lot of online documentation for them. What if you're not looking for the most popular, but instead the best app for you? Below are 25 excellent, high-quality Linux apps that go neglected far more often than they should be. Some are popular amongst those who have been at the Linux game for awhile, and others have become a staple of certain distros while remaining relatively unknown by users of different distros. No matter the reason they've sat in the midline of popularity, you can be assured that these apps do what they claim to do, and they do it well. p/p br/br   strong1. XBMC/strong I first tried this program when it was in its baby stages, and it wasn't so great: crashed, was slow, etc. Imagine my surprise when I tried it again and discovered the best media center I'd ever tried on Linux (yes, better than MythTV). XBMC is refined, it's fast, and it's feature loaded. This media center is perfect for anyone who is looking to set up a Linux box on their TV. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 1.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 1.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong2. KDenlive/strong So you thought Open Movie Maker was a nice app? KDenlive will blow you away. This program supports more formats, and can do more than OMM ever could dream of doing. This excellent program is the best option for anyone looking to edit their videos, add credits and headers, and more. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 2.jpeg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 2.jpeg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong3. Songbird/strong I myself am partial to AmaroK, which is an awesome program. Some people find it to be a bit annoying, however; at least, that's the way I've had some people describe it to me. If you feel the same way, then give Songbird a shot. You just might find that program you've always been looking for. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 3.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 3.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong4. Opera/strong So, you're not a Firefox fan, God knows you wouldn't touch Explorer even if it does come in WINE, you're not too fond of Epiphany, and the likes Flock and that one KDE browser people always seem to recommend. What should you use? Opera, of course! Opera is the little browser that could; it hardly ever garners the praise it deserves, yet it keeps plugging along. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 4.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 4.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong5. Boxee/strong Yep, Boxee comes in a Linux flavor, too. Through this nifty app, you can access the best media sources on the Internet: Flickr for photos, Hulu for TV, Netflix for movies, Pandora for music (and that's just the start). The best part of this app? You can use your remote. ##PAGEBREAK## br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 5.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 5.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong6. Conky/strong This little app is easy to configure and quite popular, as well as useful. It is a rectangle of specs you can place on your desktop, which can list just about anything you want: network activity, hard drive capacity, system heat, current weather, CPU and RAM usage, and much, much more. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 6.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 6.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong7. Crashplan/strong Crashplan is an online backup system with both free and pay accounts; it is similar to Mozy, and offers full Linux support, which makes it awesome. You can use this to backup that thesis you've been writing, archives code, sacred (or embarrassing) pictures, documents, and more. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 7.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 7.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong8. Meld/strong Meld is a cool program that many people will find useless and a sacred few will find as the alpha app they've spent their lives searching for. Meld is used to compare two similar documents and dynamically edit them; when you make updates and changes to one, it automatically updates the other. Very excellent app. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 8.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 8.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br 9. Gnumeric If you find Calc (OOo) to be too limiting, unstable, or some other distasteful thing, you can give Gnumeric a shake. This excellent spreadsheet app can open many other spreadsheet files, including ones from Calc and Excel, and does everything you'd expect from a spreadsheet program. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 9.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 9.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong10. Devede/strong Devede is an excellent alternative to Brasero if you're looking for one. This program is free (duh!), and can be used to create and author DVDs. It has very small requirements, and can handle any formats that MPlayer can handle. It's inclined towards the more technically skilled, but does have a very polished GUI for the brave newbie. ##PAGEBREAK## br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 10.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 10.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong11. Tellico/strong The perfect app for anyone who collects anything, whether it be coins, books, or hubcaps you find on the side of the street. You can catalog anything in it and keep track of them via very organized and easy to sift through lists. The program is decidedly KDE friendly, but I fudged it to work on Gnome, so you should give it shot even if you don't have KDE. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_main_image 11.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_main_image 11.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong12. Pandora One Desktop Player/strong If you're haven't heard of Pandora before then let me be the first to introduce you to the Internet; welcome, we hope you enjoy your stay. With that out of the way, Pandora is an excellent music streaming service that creates radio stations based on your specific taste in music. With the desktop player, it's easier than ever to play your radio stations, and you don't need a tab hogging your browser space. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 12.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 12.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong13. Frostwire/strong As you can probably guess from the name, this is a Limewire program for Linux. It is easy to use, nice to look at, and does what it says it will do (let you use Limewire). It guarantees no spyware or malware (which if you're using Linux, then yeah....), fast download speeds, chat rooms, fast torrents, and Bittorrent support, and lots o' skins. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 13.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 13.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong14. Homebank/strong If you don't like GNUcash, then give Homebank a shake. This program is a personal finance program that runs very well is quite streamlined. As you probably suspected, it supports QIF and OFX files, and offers graphical analysis of your finances, minor currencies toggle if you're from Europe, you can add payees, and much, much more. Best part? It's GTK+. Skin away! br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 14.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 14.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br strong15. Streamtuner/strong It's not the most beautiful program, but looks aren't everything. This program allows you to stream online radio stations, and gives far more options than you'll probably ever use. You can add streams, bookmark, make favorites, rip songs (if you have Streamripper), and much more. br/br br/br p class=img-middle a href=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/9957_image 15.jpg img src=http://media.laptoplogic.com/upload-images/9957/large/9957_image 15.jpg alt= //a/p br/br br/br